mkv file What is the MKV format and how to change it

I wrote you a letter in which I briefly outlined my problem, namely how to open mkv file or more correctly, what codec needs to be installed so that a movie in mkv format can be played by the Windows Media Player built into Windows 7? You explained to me that I need to download and install the free K-Lite Codec Pack and it will solve all my problems. On the official website you indicated www.codecguide.com, the K-Lite Codec Pack program exists in four or, if I’m not mistaken, five versions. Which one do I need? I don’t want to install something that is not needed in advance. Please answer another question. Why does an image in a movie in the mkv format look so much better than an image in the AVI format, because they have the same size. Anatoly.

And the second letter that came to us by mail, friends, with another problem, but it also concerns files with the mkv extension.

Tell me, what program should I open the mkv file to edit it? It turns out my TV can show movies in this format from a flash drive and the quality is just Ah. They say that despite the small size of this file (on average 2 GB), it can be further reduced, without loss of quality, by removing foreign language audio tracks and subtitles that I do not need. And another question. Is it possible to add an audio track taken from a DVD I purchased to a mkv movie? In many video editors, this can be done only with complete recoding of the film and, accordingly, a deterioration in its quality.

How to open mkv file

Contents of our article: First, I will answer the second question. How to open and edit a mkv file using the free program MKVToolnix, it is very simple and will no doubt come in handy more than once if several films in mkv format do not fit on your flash drive, when you go to friends on the weekend, watch films in this format on their new and big TV. By the way, now more and more digital TVs support this format, and their owners don’t even know about it. Then we will download and install the K-Lite Codec Pack together and ensure that our Windows Media Player will show movies with the mkv extension.

By the way, the K-Lite Codec Pack has its own Media Player Classic - a pretty good multimedia player that can play anything.

A file in mkv format is a kind of container, it is also called “Matryoshka”, containing various video and audio data processed by various high-quality codecs (for example, the latest H.264 video codec and AAC audio), as well as audio tracks, subtitles, video chapters, menus and so on. Reminds me of a DVD, doesn't it? The now widespread AVI format cannot accommodate this, that is, mkv is the same container for video and audio files as AVI, but much more modern and of higher quality. Most importantly, the mkv file is very easy to edit without full processing, for example, we can easily remove and remove unnecessary audio track and subtitles from it, thereby significantly reducing its size.

Initially, in the installed operating system Windows 7 and Windows XP, there is no codec that supports the mkv format, so many novice users are faced with the problem of playing movies on their computer in this format.

Editing a mkv file with MKVToolnix

We open any movie in mkv format in it. File->Open or directly drag and drop the movie file into the main program window. As we see in our film there is one video track, as well as three audio tracks and one with subtitles. We leave one video track and one audio track, uncheck the remaining tracks, click the Browse button and indicate the name and where exactly to save our future film with one audio track and no subtitles. Press the button Start processing. In a few minutes, a file with the mkv extension will appear where we indicated. This will be our film. In my case, it became instead of 2.3 GB -> 1.7 GB.

You can add an audio track in the same way, for example, it can be extracted from a DVD using DVD Audio Extractor and inserted using the aforementioned MKVToolnix. You can experiment. Unfortunately, I cannot discuss all the intricacies of this interesting issue in this article, since we will deviate greatly from the topic.
Well, we've come to our main question. how to open mkv file. Go to the official website of the K-Lite Codec Pack program. The K-Lite Codec Pack consists of ffdshow decoder libraries that can play almost any audio and video files.
Well, here we are on the website - www.codecguide.com

Click download.

As we see, 5 options await us.
Basic - the package contains everything you need to play the most common formats - AVI, MKV, FLV, MPEG, MOV, HDMOV, MP4 and so on.
Standart - I personally chose it, not only can it play almost all media files, it also has a very good Media Player Classic, for which you will thank me more than once.
Full – for particularly picky users and professionals.
Mega – additional filters, codecs and so on, those who choose this package know why they need it.
K-Lite Codec Pack 64-bit - for 64-bit players.
So we are advanced and experienced users, select –Standart and click Download Standard.

Mirror 1. Select mirror No. 1
Click Download Now (11,880 kb)

I have the free Download Master installed and it intercepted the download.

Have you downloaded it? Now let's install.

The first option is Easy installation. We will choose the second option – Advanced mode or Advanced installation.

Installation folder C:\Program Files\K-Lite Codec Pack It suits us quite well.

Profile 1: Default is the most optimal, let's select it.

The familiar AVI video format has been on the market long enough to achieve cult status. It was developed by the guys from Microsoft, pursuing purely commercial interests. Things were going great until they announced blu-ray with incredible picture quality and more.

Attempts to compress the original data from the “blue” ones into AVI were made more than once, only the output was not a high-quality BD-rip, but a mediocre fake:

• terrible resolution;
• you can't add subtitles;
• Possibility to sew up only 1 language.

In an attempt to develop a universal container for video files, domestic developers came up with the now familiar Matryoshka (Matroska video - mkv). The product's capabilities are head and shoulders above those of AVI, but the distribution is much smaller, so some users may have problems opening it.

How to open a mkv file?

Modern players for Windows 7 and Windows 10 are capable of playing almost any format. Most home HD players support Matryoshka by default. But let’s look at ways to view it on a computer:

• GOM Player;

Why these programs? They are free, have wide functionality, are easy to use, and are popular with everyone. Why use an unknown player if you can download one of the popular ones.

The player is systematically confused with Windows Media due to its name. Yes, the product is very similar to the 6.4 version of the “windowed” player, but that’s all. Software-wise, these are completely different products, and only one developer worked on MPC.

Officially, the program plays VCD, AudioCD and DVD, not counting similar formats. Support for digital media can be found on the official portal, but the list of supported extensions is impressive. It is noteworthy that MKV is not announced, but MPC supports version 7 of DivX, so there will be no problems opening it.

As for the shortcomings. The player does not implement automatic contrast and brightness settings. Not critical, but I would like it. Also, the tool works correctly only on relatively new PCs that support SSE instructions.

The well-known “cone” is a trouble-free workhorse that can be fed to any extension without worrying at all about the problem of incompatibility and unsupported codecs. It is not surprising that the software has been downloaded by more than 500 million users over the entire history of the player.

The key feature of the project is cross-platform. It works on Mac, Android, Windows, Linux. Yes, the versions are different, but the attention of developers to different operating systems is surprising. Also implemented is working with a keyboard shortcut, which is practically not found anywhere else. Take a screenshot, adjust settings, add brightness and playback speed without using a mouse.

Release 2.0 pleased users with skins that completely change the appearance of the player almost beyond recognition. The function is already outdated, but fans of customization will appreciate it.

VLC has no disadvantages as such. It is simple, easy to navigate, omnivorous, with cross-platform support. An ideal choice if you want to watch movies on your TV.

Do not confuse the regular KMPlayer and our representative with the prefix “The” - these are fundamentally different products. The latter was created for Windows and Android, while the former was developed for the KDE environment.

A distinctive feature of the player is its incredible omnivorousness. Among the popular ones, it easily opens mkv, flv, avi, wmv and even QuickTime. Add to this support for a huge number of modern audio/video codecs and you get a modern product for viewing multimedia.

Among the undeniable advantages, we note the ability to play even broken and incompletely downloaded files (except DVDs).

GOM Player

Another interesting product for reading mkv on PC. It also opens broken movies with ease. Just be prepared that the final picture may suffer, as well as the sound track.

On the other hand, no one is stopping you from recording your own audio and subtitles using the player. Not every product is capable of this. The product is good for new and old cars, even 10-12 years old. Post-processing is implemented so well that even on weak hardware you won’t feel any stutters, stutters or stutters when watching HD content.

The only annoying thing is the built-in advertising, which cannot be removed due to the closed source code. And she's pretty annoying.

The name of the player speaks for itself. Although the program is primitive in terms of capabilities and interface, it copes with the key task perfectly. It also easily opens files like AVI, WMV and more. Outwardly similar to WM player version 7, only the buttons here are implemented with text labels, and not in the form of icons.

But the functionality is meager: only adjusting the playback speed and turning on subtitles. Nothing else. Suitable for familiarizing yourself with the track, but comfortable viewing is out of the question. Moreover, the player doesn’t even really read the MKV format. It only works if you do not touch the rewind.

If the file is slow

Methods for opening MKV are known. But what should you do if the playback is choppy, jerky and periodically slows down? We will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Remember that the format transmits an HD picture, which indicates a high requirement for the PC in terms of hardware characteristics. If the computer is old, or runs on a video core built into the processor, then there can be no talk of any smoothness.

First, close all programs that are not needed during the viewing process, but can heavily load the processor (browsers, skype, running torrent, etc.). Also unload the video card (rendering, games). Additionally, make sure that the disk subsystem is not distracted by things that are irrelevant at the moment (copying files, writing, deleting, defragmenting).

It wouldn’t hurt to upgrade the system’s native codecs by installing new ones (try K-Lite Codec Pack).

The last moment is decisive. Run the file that is slowing down and open the task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del). If you see that the CPU load in front of the player exceeds 80-85%, then there can be no talk of any smoothness.

Mkv is a format that is developed according to open source software standards and intended for transmitting or playing multimedia content. This standard differs in two main things: it is very high picture and sound quality; quite bulky size.

Indeed, an ordinary one and a half hour movie in .mkv format takes about 4GB. However, this is fully compensated quality And convenience use. What can you use to open such files? You can pay attention to one of the following programs.

Gom Player

Now it is one of the most famous players. It began to gain popularity immediately after its appearance, because it could open any format, and for strangers it downloaded everything they needed, which saved the user from installing different codecs on their own.

In its modern version it probably opens all existing formats. Has an intuitive interface, convenient list playback and flexible settings. Allows you to quickly switch between different subtitle tracks and even add your own (which used to be mandatory).

Interacts well with media container files Matroska(the name of the project within which .mkv appeared), since working with this format was considered one of the first advantages. Allows maximum use of formats effectively. It is free, although it sometimes contains advertising.

The KMPlayer

This player is popular for its interface and is often an element of intrusive offers from various sites. Has quite high stability and user-friendly interface. Is free a product that undoubtedly contributes to popularity and often contains advertising.

A distinctive feature is the ability to play a huge number of formats. Also in the screenshot you can see elements appearing in the playlist preview. It can work using direct links, and in the right hands it can also turn into an IPTV player.

MKV Player

The Matroska association (Matryoshka, not Matroska, as is often mistakenly read) not only developed a universal container, but also released special player for your formats. It's safe to say that mkv player is the first player for the format.

Main features This player is free and open source. Here the developers can only be praised. They not only made a separate player, but also gave other developers material that allowed them to configure support for the extension in other players. Without a doubt, this contributed to the popularization of mkv.

Media Player Classic

In the old days was the only one available alternative to the standard player. It often came with a separate set of codecs for playing most well-known formats. In recent years, it has lost its former popularity due to the emergence of many other unique projects. However, it is still the choice of users who simply need a player, and not some features.

Among the main features can be distinguished simplicity And stability. A huge number of unnecessary features have not been added to the player. It is created simply for video playback.

VLC Media Player

An equally popular option today, which is often distributed in the form of a “legal Trojan”, that is, it is installed along with other programs, imposing itself on the user. Despite the aggressive marketing policy, it has a number of undeniable advantages and truthful advertising.

This player really can work with many formats and even does a good job integrates in the browser (branded plugins are made to last). Is free, but sometimes contains a lot of advertising. A great feature of the player is the software audio enhancement, which allows you to squeeze a little more volume out of the speakers, which is quite unusual and interesting.

Any of these players today is free. Therefore, if the user has to pay for registration, he is simply being deceived. The developers did not even hesitate to transfer the projects to the “open-source” state, that is, their code is open for study, which is undoubtedly an advantage.

> How to play MKV file?

Introduction.

MKV is a file extension for the free and open source multimedia container Matroska, which is often used to store high-definition videos (movies, 3D films, etc.). An MKV file can contain a copy of an entire DVD or Blu-ray disc, including the video track itself (multiple video tracks are also supported), any number of audio tracks and subtitles, menus, etc.

We can play MKV using Free Video Player. Among other functions, the program allows you to conveniently switch between different audio and subtitle tracks.

Step 1: Download and install the program.

Download Free Video Player on your computer. Run the downloaded file and follow the wizard's instructions to install the media player.

Step 2: Launch the program. Playing MKV.

Launch the installed player. The main window will appear:

Click on the "Open" button in the lower left corner of the window. The media player will call the system file open dialog:

Find the folder where your MKV file is stored, select the file and click the Open button.

Free Video Player will start playing the MKV file. The main window will automatically adjust to the video resolution.

You can double-click on the image or press Enter to switch between windowed and full-screen modes. A simple click or pressing the spacebar will pause the video.

To switch between audio tracks and subtitles from an MKV file, use the buttons at the bottom of the window:

Right-clicking on the corresponding button will bring up a quick menu, while left-clicking will open a window with additional options. Here you can also load external audio tracks and subtitles.

Step 3 (Optional): Association of the player with MKV files.

You can easily associate Free Video Player with MKV and other formats. This will allow you to open video files directly from Windows Explorer with a double click in the future.

During installation of the program, you are asked to associate the player with MKV and AVI files:

If you use the proposed option, you will be able to play MKV files with a double click right after installing Free Video Player. Otherwise, launch the player and press F10. This will open the settings menu. From the list on the left, select "File Types":

Here you can select the desired formats to associate with Free Video Player. Clicking on the "All" button will select all supported formats (video, audio, playlists).

Confirm the changes by clicking on the "OK" button and enjoy the convenience of playing videos using Free Video Player.

As its name suggests, Free Video Player is a completely free player. It does not require any registration and is ready to use immediately after installation.

If you are looking for how to open a mkv file, then you have come to the right place.

Everyone has ever downloaded movies from torrents.

Everything seems to be fine, but the files periodically do not open because they have *.mkv resolution. Why not AVI, which we have become accustomed to for so much time?

The AVI format was developed by the well-known company Microsoft for commercial purposes.

Everything was great until the moment when a fundamentally new blu-ray format with exorbitant video quality was “released” onto the market.

It was not possible to compress the source information into AVI format when trying to create BD-rip files, since the final product was terrible in every way:

1. Low resolution;
2. Inability to insert subtitles;
3. No change of languages.

As a result, the domestic “Kulibins” created their own container and called it “Matroska” (Matryoshka).

The format name is formed by transliteration: Matroska – mk, video – v = mkv. It initially has more features than AVI, but is not as common.

Because of this, many people have a question about how to open a mkv file on a PC? The developers took care of this by providing their products with the appropriate feature. Let's consider the most famous representatives, namely:

1. The KMPlayer;
2. GOM Player;
3. MKV Player;
4. Media Player Classic;
5. VLC media player.

The KMPlayer

This player should not be confused with KMPlayer, even though they have identical names. The latter was developed in the KDE environment.

Ours has a distinctive prefix “The” and is “tailored” for Windows and Android.

In other words, if you don’t know how to open mkv on Android, you can safely download this application from the Play Market.

Otherwise, the program supports almost the entire list of popular formats, both audio and video.

Among them are also FLV, WMV, AVI, MKV and QuickTime. Its main difference is its support for a huge number of codecs.

There are rumors that some of them are built into the software package not entirely legally, but this only benefits the user, since he does not have to overpay for a license.

There are plenty of opportunities.

Firstly, this player can easily play even “broken” and under-downloaded files of any format (except DVD).

Secondly, the installation package initially includes the libavcodec library, so the registry will not be additionally “clogged” with various garbage.

Note! For fans of unusual design, support for covers and additional plugins from Winamp is provided. And most importantly: support for almost all languages ​​is implemented.

GOM Player

Another good option for those who don’t know how to open a mkv file on Windows 8 and earlier versions of the OS.

The installation package has a built-in set of codecs that are needed to play all more or less known formats.

In addition to basic functionality, the player is capable of “eating” both under-downloaded and broken multimedia files.

Another thing is that the picture quality may suffer. In addition, you can make subtitles in GOM.

An excellent option for those with the characteristics of 2004–2007.

Any movie will be played without jerking or stuttering, since post-processing is well implemented here.

Unfortunately, the player cannot be customized due to the closed source code.

Because of this, it is impossible to remove built-in advertising, which is periodically annoying.

MKV Player

An ideal option for those who don’t know how to open mkv. The name itself already seems to hint.

The program was originally conceived as a primitive and convenient tool for playing the MKV format, as well as popular audio and video files.

The appearance of the window is somewhat reminiscent of the classic WM player version 7. The only difference is that here the buttons do not have icons with designations, but text labels.

In other words, if you want to click on play, you need to click not on the triangle, but on the “play” button.

The functionality is frankly meager. Here you will not find any equalizers, effects settings, or a reference book.

You can only vary the speed of playing tracks and displaying subtitles.

Media Player Classic

This player is often confused with Windows Media. There is a certain grain of truth in this: the product has an appearance identical to WMP version 6.4.

But that's where the similarities end, since MPC is based on completely different code.

It is noteworthy that only one programmer named Gabest is working on the program.

Attentive people will notice that MPC does not include support for MKV and will begin to panic.

You should not do this, since the program supports DivX version 7, so there will be no problems with mkv files. Even codecs do not have to be updated additionally.

In addition, the player copes well with flash video, frame capture via a TV tuner, and more.

As for the shortcomings. First, you won't be able to adjust brightness and contrast automatically. You'll have to tinker with the settings manually, which is not entirely convenient.

Secondly, on weak systems the program will be slow because it requires SSE support.

Overall, a good household player for non-trivial tasks.